(Feb. 27, 2013) – The Louisiana Departments of Health and Hospitals and Wildlife and Fisheries announced today the precautionary closure of oyster harvest Area 11 in response to an oil spill. Area 11 is west of the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish.

DHH Secretary Bruce D. Greenstein, Office of Public Health Assistant Secretary J.T. Lane and State Health Officer Dr. Jimmy Guidry signed the closure order, which will take effect at sunset today, Wednesday, February 27, 2013. Area 11 will remain closed indefinitely until it is determined the oysters are safe to eat.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, Tuesday night a crew boat sheared an inactive wellhead in Area 11, causing the oil spill. It was also reported that the well is spewing less than 20 barrels a day. The well has been out of service for five years.

Tomorrow morning, DHH will send personnel to Plaquemines Parish to assess Area 11 and the adjacent oyster harvest areas to determine if more closures are necessary.

DHH has notified local oyster harvesters that work the affected area, as well as the Louisiana Oyster Task Force.

Live weigh-in to be held at the Northshore Boat-N-Fishing Show in Slidell

(Feb. 27, 2013) - It’s yet another exciting year for tournament fishing in coastal Louisiana, and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ Louisiana Saltwater Series reigns as the state’s premier tag-and-release redfish tournament. The series kicks of this weekend with a unique twist, a live weigh-in at the Northshore Boat-N-Fishing Show in Slidell at the Northshore Harbor Convention Center.

Whether you are fishing as part of the series or just a fan of the sport itself, the live weigh-in is sure to be an exciting event for adults and children alike. The weigh-in is scheduled to begin on Saturday, March 2at 4 p.m.

The tournament continues to captivate anglers throughout the Gulf Coast by offering some of the most select prizes in the south, including 100 percent payout for the top finishers. Over $168,000 in prize money has been awarded since the tournament’s inception.

According to Tournament Director Mandy Tumlin, the field will be comprised of both professionals and amateurs. “We have always held to the fact that we don’t cater just to the professional tournament fishermen,” explained Tumlin. “The heart of the competition is not only to promote tagging, but to encourage youth and families to get involved in the sport – with a chance, of course, to hook some great prizes.”

Originated in 2010 by the Department, the tournament has tremendous success in supplementing the agency’s Louisiana Cooperative Marine Sport Fish Tagging Program, with over 2,100 fish tagged and 107 recaptures in four years.

The 2013 Louisiana Saltwater Series consists of six tag-and-release redfish tournaments culminating with a no-entry championship in October. The 2013 redfish tournament schedule is as follows:

March 2 The Dock/Dockside Bait and Tackle, Slidell;

April 20 Calcasieu Point Landing, Lake Charles;

May 4 SeaWay Marina, Lafitte;

June 8 Port Fourchon Marina, Port Fourchon;

June 29 Sweetwater Marina, Delacroix;

August 10 The Delta Marina, Empire and

Championship, October 4 and 5 Venice Marina, Venice.

Each redfish tournament includes two-man teams with a $200 entry fee for each event. Up to two anglers under 16 are allowed to participate per team. The tournament is a 100 percent payout series. There is a 90 percent payout for the first six events with 10 percent retained for the championship. Payout is determined separately for each event based upon the total number of boats entered.

A youth division is also available for no additional cost to introduce our young anglers to the sport of fishing and to teach the catch-and-release approach to conservation. Youth division participants compete against one another in the youth division, and all youth anglers will be recognized.

LASS staff are continually monitoring the weather and conditions forecasted for Saturday, and will make a determination on including an additional launch site within the same water basin by Friday, March 1 at noon. This announcement will be communicated to anglers and the public on the tournament’s website as well as the Department and tournament Facebook pages. The safety of our anglers is our primary concern.

For complete information, including rules, regulations and online registration go towww.lasaltwaterseries.com. Online registration will close tomorrow, Thursday, February 28 at noon. A $20 fee for all onsite tournament registrants will be incurred per team.

The Louisiana Saltwater Series is hosted in conjunction with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation. The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation was formed to provide a means for individuals and corporations to become partners with the Department and Commission in the challenge of conserving Louisiana's wildlife and fish resources.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is charged with managing and protecting Louisiana’s abundant natural resources. For more information, visit us at www.wlf.louisiana.gov on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/ldwffb or follow us on Twitter @LDWF.

(Feb. 27, 2013) – The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has scheduled a series of large-scale herbicide applications for Henderson Lake as a preventative measure to address a chronic issue with water hyacinth.

The Department wants to remind the public that the herbicides are not toxic to fish and other aquatic organisms when applied properly. LDWF standard procedure requires that only herbicides certified as safe by the EPA will be used.

The herbicide applications are scheduled to begin Wednesday, February 27 and extend through the end of March.

Prior to recent Department efforts, the invasive species restricted boating and fishing throughout the lake. The Department has determined that preventative measures are far more effective than treating the problem at a later date.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is charged with managing and protecting Louisiana's abundant natural resources. For more information, visit us at www.wlf.louisiana.gov on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ldwffb or follow us on Twitter @LDWF.

The Public Oyster Seed Ground Vessel Permit Appeals Board meeting scheduled for Wednesday, February 28, 2013 at 9:00am at the LDWF offices inside the University of New Orleans (UNO) Advanced Technology Building located at 2021 Lakeshore Drive, New Orleans, LA in the second floor conference room has been CANCELLED. As of now a reschedule date has not been set. Notice of the new meeting date will be published as soon as a date is chosen.

This Board was established by Act 922 of the 2008 Regular Legislative Session for the purpose of hearing appeals of vessel permit denials by LDWF. Act 922 requires that anyone commercially harvesting oysters on the public oyster seed grounds and reservations, except those in Calcasieu Lake and Sabine Lake, must do so from a vessel holding a public oyster seed ground vessel permit issued by LDWF.

A Marksville man was arrested and booked into the Avoyelles Parish Jail on Feb. 25 for his alleged role in the illegal killing of a Louisiana black bear.

Derek P. Sayer, 30, was arrested for shooting and killing a Louisiana black bear on Nov. 27, 2012 in Avoyelles Parish. A hunter alerted authorities on Nov. 27 about a dead black bear laying on an all-terrain vehicle trail on Avoyelles Parish School Board property located 20 miles northwest of Marksville.

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Enforcement Division agents and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officers responded to the scene and immediately started a joint investigation. After a lengthy investigation, officials concluded that Sayer allegedly killed the bear.

LDWF performed a necropsy of the bear, which revealed the bear was fatally shot with buckshot. The bear was approximately two years old and weighed about 100 pounds.

Harvesting a Louisiana black bear brings a state fine between $900 and $950 and up to 120 days in jail. In addition, restitution for the value of the animal up to $10,000 could be imposed.

The Louisiana black bear has been listed on the Federal Threatened and Endangered Species List since 1992.

The North Louisiana Criminalistics Laboratory in Alexandria and the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Avoyelles Parish Sheriff’s Office provided forensic and technical assistance during the investigation.

The Public Oyster Seed Ground Vessel Permit Appeals Board will meet on Wednesday, February 28, 2013. The meeting will convene at 9:00 a.m. in Suite 200 of the University of New Orleans’ Advanced Technology Center located at 2021 Lakeshore Drive in New Orleans.
Agenda items for the meeting of the Public Oyster Seed Ground Vessel Permit Appeals Board are as follows:

Approval of Minutes from December 4, 2012 Meeting

Hearing of Deferred Appeals

Mark Tayamen

Hearing of New Permit Appeals

Brett Johnson

Marty Melerine

Vlaho Mjehovich

Raymond Nehlig

Set next meeting date

Receive Public Comments

Adjournment

This Board was established by Act 922 of the 2008 Regular Legislative Session for the purpose of hearing appeals of vessel permit denials by LDWF. Act 922 requires that anyone commercially harvesting oysters on the public oyster seed grounds and reservations, except those in Calcasieu Lake and Sabine Lake, must do so from a vessel holding a public oyster seed ground vessel permit issued by LDWF.

Kenneth Woods, 38, of Jonesville, Don Paige, 46, of Ferriday, and Kenneth Jenkins, 50, of Jonesville, were cited for hunting wild game quadrupeds during illegal hours and hunting raccoon illegally.

LDWF Sgt. Trey Mason and Concordia Parish Deputy Dusty Lemoine were patrolling the area of Haphazard Road near Dunbarton after legal shooting hours. They observed a spot light and heard several gunshots coming from a wooded area at the end of Haphazard Road.

While observing the area, the two officers observed two vehicles leaving the wooded area and they initiated traffic stops on both vehicles. During the traffic stops, Woods, Paige and Jenkins stated they were raccoon hunting, but did not have a dog in their possession.

The subjects were in possession of small caliber rifles. Subsequently, they were also found in possession of six freshly harvested rabbits.

Hunting wild game quadrupeds during illegal hours and hunting raccoon using illegal methods each carry a fine between $250 and $500 and up to 90 days in jail for each offense.